Another song that reminds me of Florence . . .

. . . is "O mio babbino, caro," which Brightman sings beautifully.  This soprano aria is from the opera "Gianni Schicchi," written by Giacomo Puccini in 1918.  The setting is 14th century Florence, and when the soprano sings of buying a ring in Porta Rossa or throwing herself off the Ponte Vecchio, I can see those beautiful settings in my mind's eye.

Time to Say Goodbye . . .

. . . is the English title of one of Sarah Brightman's more popular songs.  I prefer the Italian title, "Con te Partiro`" which if translated directly, means "I will depart with you."  Either way, this song and others on Brightman's album, "Classics," remind me of Florence.  One of the charming things about my favorite city is the number of street performers in public spaces.  Very often there is someone doing the Brightman songs outside the Uffizi or in Piazza della Repubblica.  Do you have songs that remind you of specific cities?

www.savevernazza.com

The mission of Save Vernazza ONLUS (an Italian nonprofit organization) is to restore and preserve the town of Vernazza by raising funds for immediate reconstruction and long-term cultural and environmental projects for the benefit of Vernazza’s community of residents and visitors.

The town of Vernazza was destroyed by massive flooding and subsequent mud slides on October 25, 2011. As a result, Vernazza is buried under 4 meters (13 feet) of mud, rocks and debris. Save Vernazza ONLUS was founded by 4 expat American women who have lived in Vernazza for years, originally arriving as tourists from 6 to 16 years ago. We fell in love with the place and its’ people and relocated to create families, businesses and friendships in Vernazza. Our goal is to reach out to international communities to provide an easy, direct way of donating money which will be used for the restoration and preservation of Vernazza.

Americans in Florence

"Americans in Florence" is the title of the exhibition opening in March 2012 at the Strozzi Palace Museum in Florence.  With that theme in mind, I want to recommend some books:   The Sixteen Pleasures (Robert Hellenga) -- The story of a young woman's journey to Florence as a “mud angel” following the flood in 1966 that destroyed so many books and artifacts. Lots of behind the scenes info on local sights woven into some pretty good fact-based fiction.   A sequel, The Italian Lover (also by Robert Hellenga) is set in Florence some 30 years later when the first book is being made into a movie.  A perennial book club favorite author, Hellenga is much admired for his uncanny way of getting into the mind of a female protagonist.

Vernazza in better times . . .

Packing my suitcase in advance

OK, I'm not able to return to Florence until spring, but my bag is packed.  Here's why:  it's fire season here in Southern California, and I need to have a bag packed anyway, just in case I have to evacuate.  I've put in my bag the things I would wear either in the spring in Italy or in the fall here in California--lightweight black and tan jacket, black cashmere sweater, black pants, cotton T-shirts, flat black shoes.  I hear wide pants are "out" in Florence, so I may need to go shopping . . .

Thinking about spring . . .